The HTC Desire V is a dual-SIM Android Ice Cream Sandwich handset

HTC is not known for dual-SIM devices. Fact is, the Taiwanese company hasn't made any mobile phones able to pack two SIM cards in one body. Well, at least not before the Desire V, which is a first for the handset maker and something that really caught us by surprise.

Dual-SIM handsets are normally seen as cheap offerings which sport less than impressive specs. However, the Desire V seems to go against that notion a bit. Truth be told, this one is perhaps the most well-endowed dual-SIM-enabled phone we've heard of in terms of specs. It packs a 1GHz CPU, 512MB of RAM, 4GB of internal storage, a 4-inch WVGA display and a 5-megapixel camera. And oh, before we forget, it also comes with Ice Cream Sandwich out of the box. Yep, no need to wait for an update to Android 4.0 for it.

The Desire V is set to be available in Europe starting next month for about $470 (or P20,100). No word yet on local availability and pricing and we're hoping it'll pay us a visit. Needless to say we'll be keeping an eye on this one.